The Preservation of Memory: Combating the CCP’s Historical Revisionism and Erasure of Culture

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) engages in systematic efforts to curtail historical inquiry into subjects deemed “sensitive,” such as the Tiananmen Massacre; control narratives regarding the history of the CCP; and erase the culture of repressed peoples, including Tibetans, Mongolians, and Uyghurs. Writers, artists, and independent historians are currently engaged in efforts to preserve history and language in the face of CCP repression. This hearing will highlight their efforts and examine the various tactics used by the CCP to revise history, including lawfare and the silencing of academics who offer alternatives to Party narratives.  The hearing will also explore the ways that diaspora communities are preserving their own culture and language and transmitting them to the next generation.  Witnesses will offer policy recommendations.    

Witnesses: 

Rowena He, Senior Research Fellow, University of Texas (Austin) and author of Tiananmen Exiles: Voices for the Struggle for Democracy in China; former Associate Professor of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong until banned in 2023.

Julian Ku, Faculty Director of International Programs, and Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, Hofstra University. 

Rishat Abbas, Uyghur Academy

Geshe Lobsang Monlam, Monlam IT Research Centre 

Additional witnesses may be added.